Crash's Message Fails To Reach Some Teens

Scrawled on the pavement, at the scene of a car crash that killed three young people in Lake in the Hills, is a simple, flippant message: "Don't drink and drive. Do drugs and fly."

According to findings released Wednesday by the McHenry County coroner's office, all three victims were drunk at the time of the Aug. 27 fatal crash.

As for repeated admonitions to youths against drug and alcohol abuse, "it's clear that the message has not been received," said a frustrated James Wales, Lake in the Hills' police chief.

"There is a portion of the younger population that thinks it is a joke," Wales said. "In some circles, it's cool to drink and do drugs."

The accident took the lives of Christina M. Valzano, 15, of 1307 Monroe St., Lake in the Hills; Scott J. Gerfen, 18, of 641 Webster St., Algonquin; and Kevin G. Eineke, 21, of 7620 County Line Rd., unincorporated Algonquin.

The coroner's office reported that Valzano had a blood-alcohol content of 0.161 percent when she died, well over the legal threshold for intoxication of 0.10 percent. Gerfen's blood-alcohol level was 0.129. And that of Eineke, the driver, was 0.188-nearly double the legal limit.

Police said Eineke hit speeds of up to 70 m.p.h. before he lost control of his Pontiac Firebird and smashed into a tree near Hilltop Drive and Bernyce Drive.

Police said they discovered vodka, orange juice and a small amount of cannabis in the wreckage of Eineke's car. Witnesses told investigators that Eineke had been drinking immediately before the crash, according to authorities.

Even more disturbing to investigators was the casual attitude of bystanders, officers said. Some witnesses, including friends of the victims, viewed the fatalities as if they were nothing out of the ordinary, Wales said.

"It's more than just the common feeling of immortality" among young people, Wales said. "Some way or another, we have got to identify what's wrong. Somewhere, there's a failure."

Jacobs High School students started the school year with teams of crisis counselors on hand to help the teens cope with the deaths.

The three victims were current or former students of the school. Valzano was about to begin her junior year. Gerfen graduated in 1994. Eineke, who left behind a wife and a 4-year-old son, also had attended Jacobs.

For days after the accident, their friends and classmates held vigils at the site of the crash. Several teens left behind trinkets and messages for the victims.

A few scribbled notes reading, "Party On." That kind of sentiment left Wales and others wondering whether any of the young mourners heard a reciprocal message-namely, that drinking and driving kills.

Most police departments throughout the county are active participants in Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or D.A.R.E., programs.

The Algonquin Police Department this year will take the anti-drug and alcohol lessons to Jacobs High School sophomores in what officers describe as a refresher course for teens. That decision was made before the fatal crash.

"A lot of these kids received D.A.R.E. instruction when they were younger," said Algonquin Police Chief Russ Laine. "And there are issues we don't want them to forget."

There is little more cops can do to reach the most stubborn students.

Immediately after the fatal crash, some adults suggested that the wreckage of Eineke's Firebird be displayed on the school grounds. That didn't happen.

Wales doubted it would have changed many minds. He said, "I'm not sure that would have an impact on the students that need it the most."